A recent discovery in the Merrick Auto Museum archives highlights a fascinating intersection of music and manufacturing—a sheet music piece titled The Nash March, published by the Nash Motors Company of Kenosha, Wisconsin.

At first glance, it is a lively arrangement for cornets and clarinets, but this artifact points to a larger story: a time when automobile companies didn’t just build cars—they built culture.

A Band Behind the Brand

During the 1920s, Nash Motors maintained a company band composed entirely of employees from its Kenosha plant. Contemporary newspaper accounts describe the ensemble as a 30-piece group, reflecting a significant investment in musical talent within the company.

The band appeared in public settings, including automobile parades led by founder Charles W. Nash, where music and machinery combined to create memorable promotional events.

On the Airwaves

The Nash Motors Company Band also reached audiences beyond the streets of Kenosha. A February 23, 1926 article in The Salida Mail announced that the band would broadcast over WLS radio in Chicago, performing a 40-minute program from 9:00 to 9:40 p.m.

By the mid-1920s, radio had become a powerful and rapidly expanding medium, allowing companies like Nash to connect with listeners far beyond their local communities. This broadcast represents an early example of corporate branding extending into the world of mass media.

The Nash March

The sheet music preserved in the museum’s collection—The Nash March—was composed by H. L. Booth and arranged by F. H. Losey.

According to the The Salida Mail newspaper announcement, February 23, 1926, The Nash March was featured as part of the band’s broadcast program, suggesting it served as a signature piece for the ensemble.

Scored for instruments such as B♭ cornets and clarinets, the composition reflects the energetic, forward-moving style typical of early 20th-century marches—music designed for performance in parades, public gatherings, and outdoor events.

Can you play this piece? We’d love to hear it!
If you’re able to perform The Nash March, send us a video—we’d love to share it.

Image Credit:
Image from The Nash March, composed by H. L. Booth and arranged by F. H. Losey, Nash Motors Company, ca. 1920s, Merrick Auto Museum Collection. 2026.04.102.